


Sparks

by Xelkyrien



Series: Tales From The Land of Shadows [2]
Category: Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, First Dates, First Kiss, Ice Cream, M/M, Museums
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-28 00:54:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17777468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xelkyrien/pseuds/Xelkyrien
Summary: Randy and Nomi finally go on their first date.





	Sparks

It was on a hot summer afternoon that Randy and Nomi found themselves walking through the well air-conditioned Museum of Norrisville History, trailing behind a small group of people being lead through the building to the various exhibits by one of the Museum’s tour guides. The man was tall and lanky with an overly pleasant smile and he spoke in a tone of voice that oozed of force happiness. Randy and Nomi had grown tired of the man presenting assumptions as facts in the slow and condescending way he did, as though the people he was guiding were less intelligent than him, after the first couple exhibits and had instead opted to fall behind the group and talk about the artifacts and events with one another.

Surprisingly, it had been Randy’s idea to go to the museum. He and his teacher had been steadily getting closer after Randy had temporarily lost his sight, though neither of them had truly expressed their feelings for one another yet. Nomi had made the first move, holding his hand the day before repairs at the school were going to be completed and classes were supposed to resume. It had been surprising, but not unpleasant. In all honesty, Randy hadn’t been too sure what he was feeling or if he was willing to explore it. He had always liked and appreciated the nomicon, even when the book interrupted his fun with Howard or frustrated him with riddles, but it wasn’t until he’d found out that the book was actually a person that he started to truly care. A book was a book, even an eight hundred year old magical book of ninja wisdom. Books weren’t alive, they didn’t feel, they couldn’t care. They were just inanimate objects. Before he knew better Randy had always thought that was true of the NinjaNomicon as well. Even now there was something of a disconnect, something in his mind making it difficult for him to see that the book and the shorter red haired teen walking next to him were one in the same. Nomi was very obviously a living person with thoughts and emotions that cared for Randy a great deal. And the purple haired youth cared for him just as much. He wasn’t really sure when it had happened, when like became _like_. At first he had dismissed it as friendship. After all, though the activities they did together were different he and Nomi never really did anything he and Howard never did. They hung out, they watched movies and television, they talked about Ninja stuff, they ate meals together, but for some reason it felt different. He had started to notice a sort of warmth in his heart, a fondness he didn’t feel towards his best friend. It wasn’t like the nervousness he felt when talking to Theresa that made him trip over his words and act the fool. Instead it made his heart feel light. There was an ease to talking to Nomi, something that made him comfortable and happy, that he didn’t feel around anybody else. It wasn’t until the red head had held his hand and that simple action was enough to make his heart soar that he began to understand what it all meant. They had been moving slow since them; a bit of hand holding here, a little cuddling there, but nothing more. Then Randy had seen a flier for the museum advertising several new ninja-themed exhibits and decided to take the initiative and ask Nomi out on a date. It had made him smile to see his mentor so uncharacteristically flustered when he had asked him, the light dusting of blush on his cheeks making him look absolutely adorable. But he had said yes. And now they were here.

Randy and Nomi followed the group of tourists, staying a good three feet or so behind them so they wouldn’t be overheard. They stopped when they reached the next exhibit, at the center of which was a large painting of what vaguely resembled Norrisville High School, with various old-timey school objects around it in glass cases and attached to the wall. The building in the painting was much smaller than the modern school and seemed to be made from wood rather than stone and drywall.

“In that what Norrisville High used to look like?” Randy asked with a note of incredulity, staring up at the painting.

Next to him Nomi nodded, gaze fixed on the painting as well, “Hmm, yes. It’s the old school house that stood there before Norrisville High was built in its place. All grades attended classes in that one building. Back then the town was smaller and school wasn’t mandatory, so attendance was sporadic at best. One of my ninjas from back then had to balance school and working on his family’s farm. I remember numerous occasions where his parents insisted he quit going to school.”

“Really? They’d want him to quit school? My mom would kill me if I even suggested it.” Randy asked in shock, turning to look at the red head.

Nomi nodded again, and shrugged, still looking at the painting as he replied, “Things were different back then. People didn’t place as much value on education and it wasn’t that high of a priority. Work and family took precedence. His parents didn’t know he was the Ninja so they couldn’t understand why it was so important he always attend school.”

“That’s wonk.” Randy commented, pursing his lips and returning his gaze to the painting.

“Yes,” Nomi mused thoughtfully, “I suppose it is.”

After staring at the painting for a few more minutes the two decided to move on with the rest of the group. The remainder of the museum tour went like this, with Nomi telling Randy the stories behind the various exhibits and Randy asking questions about Ninjas past. In the process Randy learned much about Nomi’s history and Nomi learned much about Randy’s view of the world and how it works, leaving the two with a better understanding of one another.

* * *

When the tour ended it was four in the afternoon and the couple had to go back into the sweltering heat of the outdoors. After only a few minutes Randy was getting uncomfortable so Nomi suggested they should get ice cream. They made their way to there and each ordered a cone with Randy insisting on paying since it was a date. He met some resistance to this, the red head trying to get him to let him pay for his own (Nomi was fully aware that Randy was always paying for everything for Howard and he didn’t want to put more of a financial burden on him), but eventually they agreed that Randy could pay this time and Nomi would pay next time.

Once they received their orders, Randy having gotten strawberry and Nomi having gotten vanilla, the two left the busy ice cream stand and took a walk through the park as they ate their frozen treats. Without really thinking about it Randy laced the fingers of his free hand through Nomi’s and the two walked down the winding path through the park, wordlessly enjoying each other’s company.

Perhaps a half hour later the pair had finished their ice cream and sat down on a bench in the shade for a break. Randy had leaned back on the wooden bench, stretching his arms across the back of it and staring up at the tree looming above them. Its dark leaves rustled and shifted in the light breeze that had started up, making the little holes between them where the sunlight shined through dance. He felt Nomi lean into him, the smaller teen’s body resting comfortably up against his own as though they were two puzzle pieces made to fit together. The purple haired youth remembered the last time the two of them had been in this park together. That had been when his mentor was teaching him how to use his hearing to navigate and fight when he couldn’t see. It felt like ages ago now. It was hard to believe so much could change in such a short amount of time. With most of the threats they had been facing now behind them the urgency was gone. They didn’t need to be on edge anymore. They didn’t have to put their personal lives aside to focus on stopping disaster. For now they could just be.

Randy turned to Nomi, who in turn turned his gaze to look back at him. In that moment Randy decided to once again take the initiative, just as he had in asking for this first date. He leaned in and noticed Nomi lean in reflexively in response. He let his eyelids fall shut and closed the gap between them and when their lips made contact it was electric.

**Author's Note:**

> A first date story for Valentine's Day. I will freely admit that I was listening to Miranda Cosgrove's "Kissing You" the whole time I was writing this.


End file.
